Swatch & Review: Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lipstick in Rose Matter and Gemini

I'll be doing a brief overview on two shades of Velour Liquid Lipsticks by Jeffree Star Cosmetics. I've been so captivated by the swatches of Gemini and Rose Matter that I just had to get my hands on it.

Swatch and Review: Colourpop Part VII - Jenn Ne Sais Quad and Birthday Boy

Another Colourpop haul! I really just don't know when to stop, do I? Well, here is the seventh installment of my Colourpop series. FYI, there will be an eighth as well, so stay tuned.

So this was my first time ever getting an actual box from Colourpop. Usually I get my order in an envelope, which I don't mind, but this box is gorgeous. P.S., you can only get this box with a decent sized order of Super Shock Shadows or Super Shock Cheeks.

I decided to get the newly launched Jenn Ne Sais Quad ($20) Super Shock Shadows. I've been a follower of Jenn Im for a while now,  and I find that her style is just so timeless. And I definitely think that remains true with this quad.

Swatch and Review: Becca x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Splits in Prosecco Pop and Amaretto

So it's been over a month since my last post. Oops. Well, I've got a great swatch and review today! Anyone who has been keeping up with the latest makeup releases knows that the Becca x Jaclyn Hill collabs are always big news. I decided not to indulge in the face palette ($52) since I've heard a lot of mixed reviews about it. Super glad I waited because Becca and Jaclyn Hill came out with the Champagne Splits ($38) and I'm totally in love!

 I did a post on Becca x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Pop highlighter a last year, and I fell in love with that highlighter. When Becca x Jaclyn Hill came out with these new shades, I just about died.

First up, the packaging. Can we just take a moment to admire the beauty of this gold packaging? Sigh.

Review: NUDE Skincare Triple Skin Rescue Set

28.

I've been a fan of NUDE Skincare for a while ever since I got their Progenius Omega Treatment Rescue Oil. It's not the most affordable brand, so when Sephora had a sale on NUDE products, I was super excited to pick up the Triple Skin Rescue Set ($28.80 $25.20).

This set includes three trial sizes of NUDE Skincare's Progenius Omega Treatment Rescue Oil, Detox Brightening Fizzy Powder Wash, and Perfect Cleanse Omega Cleansing Jelly.

Review: KORRES Wild Rose + Vitamin C Advanced Brightening Sleeping Facial & Active Brightening Oil

Another skincare post! I can't believe it's only been 7 months since I uttered the phrase "I don't have a skincare routine," and now I've evolved into a goop hoarder. I can't help myself.

I've always been a fan of Korres products and Sephora was having a great promo on the Korres Wild Rose line not too long ago. I decided to pick up their Wild Rose Advanced Brightening Sleeping Facial ($19) and got the Wild Rose Vitamin C Brightening Oil ($54) for free with a promo code.

Swatch and Review: Jouer Long-wear Lip Crème Liquid Lipstick in Lychee, Petale de Rose, and Cassis

They're here!! I'm so excited to finally get my hands on Jouer's Long-wear Lip Crème Liquid Lipsticks ($18). They've been out of stock for ages and they recently had a restock that sold out again within hours. I managed to pick up three of the colors that I wanted the most: Lychee, Petale de Rose, and Cassis.

I thought about picking up a fourth one since there was a 25% off promo and it would have essentially been buy 3 get one free. Unfortunately, all the other colors that I wanted were sold out by then, so I just got 3 with an additional 25% off. New customers can use the code WELCOME25 for 25% off their first purchase!

Review: Murad Environmental Shield Skin Brightening Set

I have a spot that comes up on the same place on my face every couple of months. It is absolutely so irritating because as soon as the scar begins to fade, the spot appears again and I have to go through the entire process of it coming to a head and scarring again. 

So I found this awesome Murad Environmental Shield Skin Brightening Set ($12) on Sephora and I thought, why not. 

Boy, am I glad I got this! This set is amazing. These two have been constants in my skincare routine for the past few weeks. I couldn't find the link to this exact set since it seems to be sold out everywhere, however this set of 6 ($39) seems to be a really great deal and has these two products as well.

Review: First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads & Ultra Repair Cream

Quick review today of First Aid Beauty skincare! I recently picked up their Facial Radiance Pads ($15) and Ultra Repair Cream ($6.50) and I'm super impressed!

Review: e.l.f. Beautifully Bare Blending Brush

This review will be pretty brief and self-explanatory. I recently went to the e.l.f. store while I was in NYC and picked up some items, the first being the e.l.f. Beautifully Bare Blending Brush ($6).

I am so in love with this brush! I've been looking for a good blush brush for the past few months, but now I don't even need one since this brush does everything from bronzing to highlighting to everything else in between.

Swatch and Review: MAC Velvetease Lip Pencil in Aim to Please

I recently stopped by the MAC counter to pick up the lip liner in Spice, but when I came across MAC Velvetease Lip Pencil in Aim to Please ($20), I knew I had to have it. My justification was that since I already have a ton of lip liners, how about this new lip pencil?? As if I didn't already have a ton of those too. 

Swatch and Review: Lipstick Queen Frog Prince and Medieval

Another Lipstick Queen review! I got Frog Prince ($25) and Medieval ($24) a couple months ago and the formula for these sheer lipsticks is probably one of my all time favorites.

As always, Lipstick Queen's packaging is so pretty. I love the details and design for each color.

Review: Tatcha Ritual Discovery Kit and More

Okay, today I'll be reviewing one of my favorite skincare lines of all time: Tatcha. Tatcha is a Japanese skincare line inspired by the ancient beauty rituals the geisha used over the centuries. They use natural plants and some treasured minerals as ingredients in their skincare line to promote healing and healthy skin, especially those like myself with skin sensitivities.

Right before Christmas, Gilt was having a promotion for Tatcha and I decided to snag a Ritual Discovery Kit as a Christmas gift. Couple weeks later, I kept buying more and more from Tatcha because their products are just so good.

Swatch and Review: NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Cannes

I feel like NYX is one of those oft underrated brands that offer countless of affordable products at great quality. Today I'll be reviewing one of my favorite products, their Soft Matte Lip Cream in Cannes ($6).

First up, packaging. I love how you can clearly see the color by the tube. The matte handle is also a nice touch, since this is a matte formula. The only downside about the packaging is that the tube is opaque, meaning I can't see how much product I have left.

Swatch and Review: Lancôme Le Lipstique in Sheer Natural

New York Fashion Week passed not too long ago, and I was lucky enough to be in the city for the last few days of NYFW. I got to check out the latest street fashion and trends in the blustering cold of NYC.

Anyway, I also kept up with behind the scenes through the Sephora x NYFW snapchat, and I fell in love with a lip color the models were wearing during a show. It turned out to be Lancôme's Le Lipstique (25.50), which is a lip pencil that comes in a variety of natural shades and a brush on the other end.  Needless to say, I went out and picked it up right away.

This is actually my first Lancôme product, because the brand seems to cater to the more mature and classy, while I tend to hang around at the Too Faced and Urban Decay booths.

I got the shade Sheer Natural because it looked the best on my skin tone. I especially love how there's an attached lip brush.

Swatch and Review: Colourpop Part VI - Ultra Satin Lip in Echo Park and Frick N' Frack and Grunge Lippie Stix

I cannot believe this is the 6th installment of my Colourpop review. This is getting ridiculous.

For this part, I'll be reviewing the new Ultra Satin Lips in Echo Park and Frick n' Frack as well as the old goodie Grunge Lippie Stix, all $6 apiece.

Swatch and Review: Colourpop Part V - Lippie Pencils in Rayezor, Bound, Lumiere, and Dopey

Another Colourpop review. Someone stop me, please.

Today I'll be swatching Colourpop's Lippie Pencils in Rayezor, Bound, Lumiere, and Dopey. I wasn't able to get the Dopey Ultra Satin Lip before it sold out, so I got the lip liner to test out the color. It doesn't hurt that these are $5 each. Or maybe it does, because I have way too many lippies now.

Swatch and Review: theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer, Bahama Mama, Instain Houndstooth, and Instain Swiss Dot

Several weeks ago I ordered some products by theBalm Cosmetics on Hautelook. I kinda love/hate Hautelook because the price for high-end cosmetics is crazy affordable, but the shipping time usually takes about a month and a half. 

Anyway, I decided to get the famous Mary-Lou Manizer highlighter ($24), Bahama Mama bronzer ($20), and the Instain blushes in Houndstooth and Swiss Dot.

I've heard so many great things about theBalm Cosmetics and I've always wanted to order something from them because their packaging is just way too cute!

Swatch and Review: Lipstick Queen Velvet Rope in Black Tie

Lovely velvet packaging for the Velvet Rope lipsticks

Today I'll be reviewing the ever so luxurious (and pricey) Lipstick Queen Velvet Rope lipstick in the shade Black Tie ($50).

Logo detail on the lipstick

I have several lipsticks from Lipstick Queen, and the Velvet Rope collection is the most expensive. However, the price tag is completely understandable once you experience the quality of these lipsticks.

Swatch and Review: Colourpop Part IV - Super Shock Cheeks in Between the Sheets and Butterfly Beach

Finally, my last Colourpop review (for now, at least). While my previous reviews were about Colourpop's lipsticks, I added a couple of cheek products to test out as well.

I got a blush in Between the Sheets which Colourpop describes as "a mid-tone pink-beige in a matte finish." 

Swatch and Review: Colourpop Part III - Lippie Stix in Lumiere and Brink

This is part three of my Colourpop review series in which I'll review two of the Lippie Stix in Brink and Lumiere. I only ordered two Lippie Stix because I wasn't interested in as many of the shades. 

Click here for my review on More Better, Bad Habit, and Stingraye. And click here for Tulle, Bumble, and Lumiere 2.

In natural lighting

From left to right: More Better, Bad Habit, Stingraye, Tulle, Bumble, Lumiere 2, Lumiere, Brink.

Swatch and Review: Colourpop Part II - Ultra Matte Lips in Tulle, Bumble, and Lumiere 2

This is a continuation of my Colourpop review. In my last post, I swatched and reviewed More Better, Bad Habit, And Stingraye. Click here to read about it.

More Better, Bad Habit, Stingraye, Tulle, Bumble, Lumiere 2, Lumiere, Brink

In natural  lighting

Today, I'll be review the last three Ultra Matte Lip colors in Tulle, Bumble, and Lumiere 2.

Swatch and Review: Colourpop Part I - Ultra Matte Lips in More Better, Bad Habit, and Stingraye

Oh boy, I've got a bunch of stuff to review this week. I've heard a lot of great things about Colourpop Cosmetics, and I decided to take the plunge and order myself some of their most popular products.

 I got two of their Lippie Stix in Lumiere and Brink, as well as six shades of Ultra Matte Lips. The first three Ultra Matte Lip shades I'll be reviewing today are More Better, Bad Habit, and Stingraye.

Swatch and Review: Buxom True Nude Lip Foundation in Bare

I should probably stop going to Sephora when I don't have something in particular that I need, because I'll ultimately end up buying something that I didn't plan to. Like this.

I was just browsing through Sephora (bad idea) and decided to swatch some lip colors (even worse idea) and I stumbled across Buxom's True Nude Lip Foundation in Bare ($20). Which is ridiculous because I don't own a single thing from Buxom. This brand is a browse-over brand for me, probably because none of their products are ever hyped or promoted where I live, at least not in the way NARS, Becca or Anastasia are, which is a real shame because this lipstick is incredible.

Swatch and Review: NARS Audacious Lipstick in Leslie

NARS Audacious Lipsticks ($32) have some of the highest ratings ever for lip products, and with good reason. They're super pigmented, ultra creamy, and long-lasting.

The formula is absolutely amazing and NARS offers a vast selection of colors. I chose Leslie, because psst, it's my name. I actually didn't go to Sephora with the intention of picking this up, but when I saw the name and swatched it, it was fate.

Review: Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream and Radiance Lotion

I'd like to thank modern medicine and genetics for my skin.

Modern medicine, because after going on birth control, my skin has remained mostly flawless with only a spot every couple of months. Thanks to that, I only ever use light coverage foundation because there's not much that needs to be covered up.

Genetics, because my mother is like eternal youth personified, and she has (fortunately/unfortunately) passed that onto me. She's in her 50s, but probably looks like she's in her late 30s. And I am perpetually being asked if I need a travel escort at airports. Restaurants have stopped offering me kids' menus a few years ago.

My mom and I are big fans of Fresh. There's just something about their products that is so simple and universal. 

Swatch and Review: Makeup Geek Eyeshadows in Bitten, Burlesque, Grandstand, Starry Eyed, In the Spotlight,

I've heard a lot of great things about Makeup Geek eyeshadows so I decided to buy some colors that I was interested in. I got two in their regular finish and three foiled eyeshadows. At $6 and $10 a piece, these are reasonably priced and are great quality.

Makeup Geek eyeshadows are sold as singles and can be put into a Z palette. They are also the same size as MAC shadows.

Clockwise from top: Bitten, Starry Eyed, Grandstand, Burlesque, In the Spotlight in indoor lighting.